Share this article

The European Space Agency released an ultra-high-resolution video of the Earth on Wednesday shot from orbit on the International Space Station by German astronaut Alexander Gerst.

“You can see how vulnerable the planet is from up here,” Gerst told people in his home town of Künelsau, Baden-Württemberg, in a video chat last week. It was a perspective “we want to bring back down with us,” he added.

The video, which had more than 46,000 views on YouTube by Wednesday afternoon, includes images of Eath by day and night as well as a spectacular aurora borealis (northern lights).

Gerst, who has been on the space station since May, is a keen user of social media to inform his followers about his activities on the International Space Station (ISS) and to share photos of the Earth from orbit.